INTRODUCTION Thalassemia is hereditary anemia which requires lifelong transfusion as treatment, and hepatitis viral infection is one of the risks of repeated transfusions. Hepatitis B outbreaks in health-care settings are still a serious public health concern worldwide. Blood samples negative for HBsAg but positive for HBV-DNA, with or without the presence of HBV antibodies, are classified as "...

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the most frequently transmitted agents in dialysis units. Occult hepatitis B is characterized by HBV infection without detectable surface antigen (HBsAg) in the patient's serum, a positive or negative HBV DNA marker result in the serum and a positive result in the liver tissue, which leads to the potential risk of transmission during renal replacement thera...

Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is defined as persistence of HBV DNA in liver tissues, with or without detectability of HBV DNA in the serum, in individuals with negative serum HBV surface antigen (HBsAg). Despite accumulating evidence suggesting its important clinical roles, the molecular and virological basis of occult hepatitis B remains unclear. In an attempt to establish new hepat...

In the recent issue of Middle East Journal of Digestive Diseases, we read with great interest the article by Bahari et al.1, “Significance of response to hepatitits B vaccine in subjects with isolated antibody to hepatitis B core antigen”. We wanted to specify some important matters related to the article. Initially, definition of occult hepatitis B virus infection is the existence of hepatitis...

In the recent issue of Middle East Journal of Digestive Diseases, we read with great interest the article by Bahari et al.1, “Significance of response to hepatitits B vaccine in subjects with isolated antibody to hepatitis B core antigen”. We wanted to specify some important matters related to the article. Initially, definition of occult hepatitis B virus infection is the existence of hepatitis...

UNLABELLED Previous studies have suggested that prior exposure to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection may increase the risk of development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic hepatitis C. The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of previous or occult HBV infection in a cohort of hepatitis B surface antigen-negative patients with histologically advanced chronic he...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and the HBV surface (S) gene variants circulating in the South African population after nearly two decades of universal hepatitis B vaccination. STUDY DESIGN From a previous serosurvey, 201 serum samples with serological evidence of exposure to HBV were identified and t...

Hepatitis B is one of the most frequent post-transfusion infections. Occult hepatitis B infection (OBI) is a form of hepatitis B infection in which, despite the presence of HBV-DNA in the serum and hepatocytes of the carrier, HBsAg is absent. In addition to the risk of transmission through the transfusion of infected blood, reactivation of hepatitis B in OBI patients and recipients of their blo...

1. Liaw YF, Sheen IS, Chen TJ, Chu CM, Pao CC. Incidence determinants and significance of delayed clearance of serum HBsAg in chronic hepatitis B virus infection: a prospective study. Hepatology 1991;13:627-31. 2. Agarwal N, Naik S, Aggarwal R, Singh H, Somani SK, Kini D, et al. Occult hepatitis B virus infection as a cause of cirrhosis of liver in a region with intermediate endemicity. Indian ...

OBJECTIVE To describe the etiology of hepatitis and identify occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. CLINICAL PRESENTATION AND INTERVENTION A 40-year-old man presented with severe abdominal pain and jaundice, a history of acute HBV infection that had cleared as well as the use of acetaminophen, methamphetamine, buprenorphine and marijuana. He admitted to having had unprotected sex with mult...